The Spin

Cruel and unusual uses of denim

Abby Schwartz

Don't do this to me.

Mom jeans. They’ve been joked on by Saturday Night Live and banished by fashion magazines, and yet they continue to be sold by such fine establishments as JCPenney. These high-waisted, butt-enlargingly tapered creations are usually only seen in elementary school car lines — unfortunately, mom jeans’ little sister, denim leggings, have been getting a little bit more exposure than they deserve recently.

My first encounter with denim leggings began when my own mother bought me a pair in 1997. She was fascinated by the comfortable, stretchy fabric, and I wore them because I had them.

I seriously thought the last time I would see denim leggings was when I put them in a trash bag to take to Goodwill, but, to my surprise, one night when I was watching television with my family, there they were wrapped around the legs of Mischa Barton on my own TV screen, on a fashion show no less (check it out around 3:30). 

She was shopping with a British TV personality, and, when complimented on her vintage rocker tee, she dove into a story about how she found her new denim leggings and fell in love.

Why the producers didn’t cut this scene out of the segment, I have no earthly idea. You’d think the Brits would know better.

I can deal with the girls at Penn who think leggings count as pants, but denim leggings? Please, spare me the camel toe.

5 Responses to “Cruel and unusual uses of denim”

  1. Christine Says:

    I love my leggings but have not given in to the denim leggings… Don’t think I will after reading this diatribe…. I’m old enough to go for the mom pants but I think they would accentuate my cankles too much….
    Have a great week-end and keep up the cool blog! We gone….

  2. Lindsey Says:

    So I am also horrified by denim leggings…unfortunatly have fallen prey to the leggings as pants look…although someone aka u swore never to talk to me if i ever did that again so thank god for that

  3. Julia Schwartz Says:

    on behalf of all fans of snl, i would like to thank you for indirectly promoting said tv program. by the way, are there any pictures of you in thoses leggings?

  4. The Spin » Blog Archive » Will NOT blog for clothes Says:

    [...] am I not paid to blog? Am I to write about denim leggings and Verizon’s evil monster only for the public good? AT&T should send me a thank you [...]

  5. Amanda Says:

    leggings are fantastic. They really are very comfortable. Denim leggings are also great, and look fabulous when worn appropriately. I think certain people who shouldn’t be wearing them are giving them a bad name, but, it’s a free country and they can wear what they like.

    If you”re willing, definitely give the denim leggings a try, with a cute sweater tunic and flat winter boots (not UGGS, but the robin hood looking ones) and a cute belt, or even with an over sized hoodie. It really is a very cute and comfortable look; as long as you wear it correctly (with proper undergarments).

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